Bochsa, Nicolas-Charles - Melange d`Airs for Flute, Horn and Harp

Bochsa was a French composer and harp virtuoso in his time. He was the son of an oboe player and worked at the French Court 1813-1817. He published numerous solo works for harp and one harp school. Some of his works were published by his own publishing house. On the harp he invented several techniques such as the way to play a chromatic flageolet.

Numerous transgressions (document forgery, bigamy and so on) made him leave several times the respective country.

On the other hand, he was a very famous and esteemed musicians and composer. From 1822 to 1827, he was professor for harp at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Then he toured through the whole world. He died in 1856 after a colorful life in Australia.

Melange de Airs for Flute (or Violin), Horn and Harp op.38

In this quite extensive work with the subtitle Pot-pourri en Trio Bochsa transformed melodies of opera by Henri-Montan Berton (1767 - 1844). Berton had been a very famous composer in Paris since 1800 and after 1817 he worked at the Conservatoire de Musique as the successor of Mehul, the professor for composition. Bochsa used melodies of the operas Montano et Stephanie(1799) ; Aline, reine de Golconde (1803); Ninon chez Mme. de Sévigné (1808); Le Délire (1800), Ponce de Leon (1798);Le Charme de la voix (1808).

Bochsa dedicated the “Melange d`Airs” to Melle Stephanie Berton. The flute part can alternatively played by a violin.